Cauchemar
by georgebobpinglingchu
Summary: Adeline Everard is an inner city elementary school music teacher. When she has to drive her mother to the doctor, she has to have a substitute come in, right? And guess who the sub ends up being... The story's better than this summary, trust me.
1. Prologue

**(A/N: Hey! What's up! And don't say "the ceiling"...  
*cough* Well, anyway, I am georgebobpinglingchu, formerly known as ChristinexPhantom. I decided that the old name was cheesy beyond all forbearance of humor, so I changed it to the same as my DA and YouTube accounts.  
I have written a POTO phic before, and I'd just like to say that even I myself believe it was terribly written. It's called Christine's Other Friends, and it's from a while back, so if you have any inclination to read it, it might take a bit of searching.  
This story's gonna be based off of a lot of different versions, mostly movie/musical, book, and the Kay novel, but there's probably going to be a bunch of references to other versions too. And for the record, I started writing this mid-March, so it's taken me a while to put everything together.  
I regretably do not own POTO.)**

"...and can anybody tell me what _this_ is?"

Ellie Manchez raised her small seven-year-old arm as high as it could go. From her seat in the far left of the back row (the one closest to the hallway door), she was as likely as not to be noticed by the teacher, because almost the enitre left side of the classroom was devoted to bookshelves.

She snuck a glance around the room. Darren Tschaw, the class clown, was busy in the back row carefully folding a veritable armada of paper airplanes. Courtney Brown (affectionately known amongst the student body as "pigtails") was sitting in the middle of the room, twirling said trademark hairstyle around with her pencil, not paying a lick of attention to her surroundings. Leroy Donohan had his hand firmly up in the air, as nonchalant as could be. The boy was practically a child genius, and he knew it.

To Ellie's surpirse and relief, the teacher called on her. "A dotted quarter note," she answered confidently, sending a smug smile in the direction of Leroy, who responded by poking a hole in the clouds with his nose.

The teacher smiled at her. "Right, Ellie." She returned her focus back to the chalkboard, where a smorgasboard of musical notes and symbols were written. She pointed to one, seemingly at random. "Now, does anyone know what-"

Just then, the bell rang, signifying the end of class, and the end of the school day. All of the children rushed to their cubbies and emptied their belongings into their backpacks. As soon as she was finished shoving her books into her bag, Ellie walked up to her teacher's desk.

"Ms. Everard?"

Ms. Everard's head shot up from the paperwork she'd been working on, raven curls falling in front of her usually pale face, which had a slight pink flush to it at the present moment. "Oh!" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Ellie, it's you. You should hurry up, sweetie. The buses leave in ten minutes."

"My momma's picking me up today."

"Oh. Do you need something?" Ms. Everard kept glancing nervously at her papers, like she thought they would explode any second.

"I was just wondering, when are we going to start casting for our spring program? I mean, the music theory is cool and all, but there's more to it than just knowing how many beats to hold a note out, or knowing about all those dead composter guys." Ellie smiled, flashing her dimples.

Ms. Everard chuckled. "_Composers_, Ellie. And they're not all dead. Do the names Andrew Lloyd Webber or Stephen Schwartz ring a bell?"

Ellie shook her head. They both sounded vaguely familiar, maybe she'd heard her older sister say it. Carolynn was a sucker for musicals.

"Ah. Well, I was planning on starting our preparations for the spring show on Monday. Sadly, I won't be here, though. I have to take my mother to the doctor. You'll have a substitute. Is there anything else?"

"Kinda, it's a little personal, though." Ellie shrugged off her momentary unease. "Why do you always seem all rushed at the end of the day?"

"Rushed?"

"Well, you were flying through those papers a few minutes ago. And I can tell you really want to go back to them."

"You're very observant, Ellie." Ms. Everard smiled at her. "I just don't want to be stuck at school all night doing all this paperwork and stuff. Now," she said, standing up. "let's get you to your mother, shall we?"

After seeing that Ellie and her mother had left, Adeline Everard returned to her small classroom and resumed her paperwork.

Once she had every paper on her desk in it's proper place and file and all her student's daily grades logged into the computer system, she glanced at the clock. _5:45. Shit._

Adeline collected her things and slipped on her old light brown windbreaker. It was early spring, but it was still bloody cold outside. It was also already getting dark.

Once outside the school building, she walked with ease through the familiar pedestrian-filled streets. Coming to the dreaded area, she stopped and looked around for any sign of trouble. Seeing none as of yet, she ducked into the alley, fingering the Swiss Army Knife her father had given her for her eighteenth birthday present that was sitting in her right jacket pocket, ready at hand, should the need arise.

She made it to her apartment without incident (unless you count the jeers and cat calls of her neighbor and his drinking buddies). Drawing the key out of her dingy messenger bag, she paused. _What was-? No, Addie. You didn't see or hear anything. You're not hearing people's thoughts, you're not seeing random objects glowing green- URGH! Why the HELL am I reading that book?_

Adeline unlocked her door and gave it a push. Nothing. "Bloody Hell," she muttered, pressing her shoulder into the cheap plywood. After several hard shoves, the door reluctantly creaked open. _Gonna have to talk to the management about that stupid door. 'Course, they're not going to do anything, anyway._

She dropped her key back in her bag and shut the door behind her on her way in. Once the door was closed and locked (all six deadbolts and latches), Adeline dropped her bag and jacket on the cat puke colored carpeting and collapsed on her couch.

After around ten minutes of laying sprawled out on the couch doing nothing, Adeline sat up, feeling her stomach rumbling. Despite already being dreadfully skinny, she got up and fixed herself a bowl of that Special K crap that they kept advertising on the TV. It wasn't near as good as those gorgeous women on there said it was, but it was okay.

Still chewing her cornflake and strawberry concoction, she made her way back to the couch. She set her bowl on the small endtable and stripped her sweater off, revealing a black cami with lace trim on the top. Adeline never wore anything out in public except for baggy sweaters and jeans, but every woman has the right to look sexy in her own apartment. She giggled at the thought.

Reaching for the television remote, Adeline nearly knocked over her cereal bowl. She gingerly picked it up and set it in her lap. Turning on the tube, she saw another ad for Special K. The woman on there was smiling and eating her bowl with evident relish, then went on a tangent about how she's lost twenty pounds in the last month by following the "Special K diet" and went on to introduce their shakes and granola bars in addition to all five kinds of cereal.

Adeline glanced at her own bowl, which by this time was getting rather soggy and more resembled dogshit with flecks of blood than actual cereal. Not very appetizing. She glared at the obvious plastic-surgery patient on the screen. "Shut up, bitch. It ain't _that_ good." She raised the remote and changed the channel.

Now on the screen was a new(ish) episode of Spongebob. Adeline used to find Spongebob amusing, but now it kind of got on her nerves. There's only so much you can do with an underwater sponge living in a pineapple.

_Click._ Now the TV was on Full House. Adeline let out a guffaw. People still watched it?

_Click._ Match Game '73. _Much better,_ she thought, leaning back into the couch, attempting to eat the mush that was now her cereal.

Sometime that night, Adeline woke with a start. At some point or other she'd managed to find her way to her bedroom before she'd completely conked out. But, as usual, she woke up because of the nightmares.

It was always one of two nightmares. The first was the one that was very possible in real life, and the reason Adeline still kept her Swiss Army Knife in her pocket after six years. It always started with her walking down the alley. It was always night, sometimes just after sunset, sometimes around midnight, but night all the same. There's always a drunken gang hanging out in front of her apartment, and... It was pretty obvious where the rest of it went.

The second was...Strange. It never started as a nightmare, just odd. It was just Adeline and a man, sitting in what looked like her apartment's living room. The man was tall, well over six feet, well-dressed (sometimes wearing a wide-brimmed fedora, sometimes not), and with a white porcelain mask over the right side of his face. Adeline knew him from somewhere, but couldn't remember where.

They would sit there talking, always about some aspect of music or other. Sometimes the conversation would progress into what almost seemed like a lesson, the man being the teacher in this case. Sooner or later, Adeline would ask him about the mask. He wouldn't give a straight answer, so she'd keep pestering him about it. Eventually, she'd get so fed up with his half-assed answers that she'd just rip the mask off his face.

That was the nightmare.

The right side of his face was so horribly, grotesquely disfigured, that Adeline would shriek and drop the mask, forgotten, on the floor. The man would scream and yell at her, grab her by the wrists and shake her, force her to look at him, at what she'd done.

At this point, Adeline would wake up, usually in a cold sweat, crying her eyes out, but not remembering anything.

This particular night, she still didn't remember anything, except that the two dreams had been combined.

It was night in her dream. As usual Adeline was on her way home from work. Except, this time, she'd forgotten her Swiss Army Knife at school. She passed the usual drunks, who made cat calls at her and asked her to come over and join them. She ignored them, continuing on her way.

The men followed her, cornering her at a small intersection. One ripped off her coat. She cried out in pain. The others were still smiling their drunken, lopey grins. There was a sudden wet choking sound, as if someone was being strangled. Adeline felt the arms of the first drunk let go of her, and she turned around.

The man from the other dream had a strange looking rope around the drunk's neck. Once he stopped moving, the man released him. He snapped the rope, sending the others running for their miserable lives. He let out a chuckle, then turned to Adeline. "You're not going to rip my mask off _this_ time, are you?"

**(A/N: Well, there's the prologue for you. And in case this gets confusing {when I made my friends read this, they said it was}, Adeline doesn't remember her dreams. Except for random details. And you get virtual chocolate cookies if you can guess what book she was talking about...  
Please review!! Especially if you have any suggestions for a new title. I think the one I have kinda fails...)**


	2. I Is it the Ghost?

_Chapter I  
Is it the Ghost?_

**(A/N: Here's chapter 1! Sorry about not uploading last week. We just got done with finals yesterday, and my brain is still kinda sore, so forgive me if the quality of the story line drops here. (Pre-Algebra + Civics = EVIL!)  
Oh, and, in case you're wondering, I'm naming all my chapters after either chapters in the book, songs from the musical (including the sequel), and other Phantom-y things. Sometimes it's a variation of the title, or the title itself, and I'm just rambling now...****Disclaimer: I sadly do not own the phantom. He belongs to Mr. Leroux, Mr. Webber, Mrs. Kay, Mr. Kopit... Wow, there's a lot of people to list...  
Oh, and have you ever realized that the Indian (from India, not Native America) in _Annie_ is named Punjab? Seriously. No joke.)**

Finding it impossible to drift back off into sleep at two AM, Adeline crawled out of her rickety old bed. Dressed only in her lacy black cami and a pair of old basketball shorts, she trudged to the kitchen. Running her fingers through her dark curls, she poured herself another bowl of Special K.

Before she put the milk in, she stopped. Her stomach was rumbling fiercely, a sure sign that if she went ahead and had the weight-loss cereal, she'd probably puke. Pouring the dry cereal from her bowl back into the box, Adeline sighed. This always seemed to happen after nightmares.

She grabbed the box of toaster waffles she kept for occasions such as these. Stuffing two in the toaster, she plopped down in a kitchen chair and let her thoughts wander.

_Why is it I can never remember these bloody dreams? I mean, it's not like I WANT to remember, but I'd kind of like to know what the Hell is going on inside my own damn brain. _

_The weirdest part is, I CAN remember parts of them. But they're always so insignificant. I know last night- Er, well, ten minutes ago they were combined, and that man was there (why can't I even remember what he looks like?), then somebody got _

_(punjabbed)_

_strangled, and then the guy said something about a mask. Am I going insane? Maybe I should stop reading those books..._

Adeline glanced over toward the living room where her bookshelf was. _The Tommyknockers_ by Stephen King was sitting on the endtable, pages dogeared as heck. She walked over and picked it up.

There was a popping noise. Adeline jumped and the book fell to the floor. Breathing deeply, she rolled her eyes. _Just the toaster, hon. Nothin' to get all worked up about._

She walked back to her small kitchen and carefully took the waffles out of the toaster. Setting them on a Dixie paper plate, she slathered them in syrup and peanut butter. Grabbing a fork from her silverware drawer, she took a bite. _God, that's good._

Once she finished her waffles, she deposited her sticky plate in the trash can under her sink. Rinsing off the fork, she glanced at the window. She was exceedingly pale, making her reflection in the window above the sink look like a china doll. Her black ringlets came down to just past her shoulders, and a little was covering her greenish-hazel eyes. Her lips were a dark red naturally, negating the need for makeup. Everything about her seemed to contrast everything else, making sure she would never blend in.

Once she'd finished washing her fork and putting it back in the drawer, she walked toward the couch, plopping herself down. The old piece of furniture protested. "Aw, put a sock in it," Adeline admonished it. "I'm sittin' on you anyway."

She turned on the TV, not expecting much. It was still on GSN, and now a black and white episode of To Tell the Truth was on. Losing herself in the mind-numbing triviality of it, Adeline drifted off into sleep.

Adeline opened her eyes. _What the- Oh._ She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter past seven. And all was well.

There was a knock on the door. She ran to the peephole and looked out. _Oh, for the love of-_ "Hold on a minute, Brandon!"

The man on the other side of the door nodded, smiling his usual smile.

Adeline rushed back to her room and grabbed her white cotton robe. Throwing it on, she walked back out into the main room. Still struggling with the tie around her middle, she opened the door and let Brandon in.

Brandon Wicherly was a rather strikingly handsome man. He was a little over six feet tall, with unruly sandy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. He came from a wealthy family, and made sure to flaunt it when the need arose. Except around Adeline. He was very sweet on her, and he supposed she felt the same way. They weren't dating or anything, but they'd been close friends ever since Adeline's graduate student days two years ago at the city's art museum.

Brandon was an expert on telling whether a piece was a fake or the real thing, which came in very handy at the museum. However, the museum had a whole wing dedicated to the musical arts, which is where Adeline was doing her graduate student work a year ago. One day, Brandon had been helping a group of men carry a rather large and expensive painting to the other side of the building, constituting a trip through the music wing. He'd seen a young girl of about twenty-two standing in front of a display case of violins, seemingly in awe.

He'd made sure the men could handle the painting by themselves, then walked over to where the girl was standing. Following her gaze, he smiled. "That one's a real Strad," he'd said.

She'd nearly jumped out of her skin, upon hearing his voice. She turned around, still shaken. "What?" she's asked trying to calm herself.

Brandon got his first good look at her. As a matter of fact, she looked younger than her twenty-two years, more like nineteen. She was wearing a pair of baggy jeans (they weren't meant to be baggy though, he could tell. She was just that skinny) and a faded T-shirt with the '90s X-Men on it. Her shiny black hair was straightened and up in a makeshift ponytail, and there was no trace of makeup on her pale, porcelain face. She was blushing slightly, like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I said that's a real Strad," Brandon repeated, trying to recover from the shock of her beauty.

She'd gasped. "As in Stradivarius? But there's only, like, a few originals left!"

"And that's one of them," he'd answered, still smiling at her. He was struck by her voice. It had a soft southern cadence that he certainly would never have expected from someone so pale.

She'd hesitantly smiled back. "Oh! Where are my manners? Adeline Everard, graduate student of music." She stuck out a hand.

He shook it. "Brandon Wicherly, assistant curator."

Her large hazel eyes widened. "Assistant curator? But you're nowhere _near _forty!"

At this, he'd chuckled. "Twenty-eight's close enough. My family has connections here at the museum, so I was able to move through the ranks fairly quickly."

After that day, they'd become fast friends. Brandon helped her with her graduate student work, and on occasion, Adeline helped him with identifying paitnings. Brandon was proud to be the only person outside of her family to know the real Addie Everard, not Ms. Everard the simple music teacher.

Brandon sat down on the couch in Adeline's tiny apartment. "You're up awful early for a Saturday, Addie," he said, smiling at her unruly mess of hair.

She smiled half-heartedly. "Actually, I woke up at two. I fell back asleep after eatin' a couple waffles." She was still having trouble tying the robe.

Brandon stood up and tied it for her, trying hard not to let his hands hover too long around her tiny waist. "Still having those nightmares?"

They both sat down on the couch. It let out a loud creak. Adeline whacked it on the armrest. "Yeah. Last night they were combined."

Brandon frowned. "Combined?"

Adeline nodded, biting her lower lip. "I can't remember much of anything. But somebody got killled. Strangled, I think. I don't know what to make of it." She set her head on his shoulder, sighing.

Brandon attempted to smooth her hair soothingly, but the unrepentant ringlets sprang back into place. "I think what you need is a night out. You've been too absorbed in that job of yours. No wonder you've been so stressed out lately."

Adeline smirked. "What exactly does this 'night out' entail?"

"Oh, you know. Dinner, then a movie, or a walk in the park."

"How romantic."

Brandon's heart momentarily stopped beating. "I suppose you could put it that way." He cleared his throat.

Adeline raised her head. She narrowed her eyes. "What're you gettin' at, Brandon?"

"Er, would you like to go out with me?" Brandon's face flushed. He hadn't planned on asking her out when he'd come over.

"In that case, of course I will."

Brandon grinned. "Really?"

Adeline laughed. "I honestly can't believe it took you so long to buck up the courage and ask me. You've been chomping at the bit for months."

Brandon stood up to leave, a bright smile still lighting his features. "I'll pick you up at seven tonight, okay?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you then!"

Brandon made his way out of the building, practically skipping on his way out.

Adeline watched Brandon leave. As soon as he was out of sight, she giggled. She plopped herself down on the old couch, heaving a sigh of relief. She picked up her book from the floor and turned to the (hopefully) correct dogear and read.

_August 19th, 1982_

_May 19th, 1987_

Adeline frowned. _Third time I've read the book, and I still can't figure out what's with those dates,_ she thought, getting up and putting the book back on her shelf.

She ran her fingers lovingly across the bindings of the second-from-the-top row. This row contained her all-time favorites; books she had read dozens of times and never got tired of.

_Still Life With Crows, The Lightning Thief, Of Mice and Men, Fire Starter, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Eragon, The Phantom of the Opera, FAILNation-_

Adeline paused. _Wait. Why'd I pause?_ For the most part, she forgot her momentary glimmer of insight, but some small sub-conscious part of her brain compelled her hand to reach for the next to last book.

She settled herself back on the couch, trying to forget the ominous feeling in her gut. She flipped through the prologue/preface/whatever, and began reading at chapter 1.

_CHAPTER 1: Is it the Ghost?_

About an hour later, Adeline was a quarter of the way through the slim volume. She stole a glance at the wall clock above the television.

_Nine o' clock! Shitfricks!_

She folded the corner of her page and sprinted for her room. She flung off her robe, then her black cami and rooted through her closet, finding her dark red blouse with the black collar and cuffs. Not yet buttoning it up, she grabbed a pair of faded Levi's off it's hanger and yanked them on.

Still doing up her zipper, she stood in front of her mirror. It was positioned on the wall near her closet door, so that when she opened the door, the mirror was covered. Adeline groped on the nearby dresser for her brush and quickly ran it through her thick curls, abandoning all hope for it.

Walking into the bathroom, she grabbed the small white box off the shelf and put her contacts in._ It's not going to help matters if I can't see two feet in front of my face._

Adeline grabbed her purse and began walking out the door when she paused. She looked down, cursing fervently. She hadn't yet buttoned her shirt. Still grumbling to herself, she closed and locked her door and continued down the hallway, buttoning her shirt as she went.

Adeline entered the cafe twenty minutes later. She would have made it in five minutes, but for some reason, cabbies never stopped on her street.

_Can't say I blame 'em,_ she thought, walking up to the man who was apparently the maitre 'd. "Uh, has a Mr.-" She glanced at the piece of paper she clutched in her hand. _How the Hell do I pronounce THAT? Okay, Ads. Think. High school French class. You cain't have forgotten all of it. Or can you?..._

"-Mr. Carriere showed up?" she finally said, hoping to God that she pronounced it right.

The man nodded to a booth in the far right corner. Adeline thanked him and walked over to the booth.

The man sat there, sitting straight as a rod, staring out the window with a slight frown. He had dark brown (nearly black) hair that looked as if it had at some point in the morning been slicked back, but the mid-March wind had blown it astray. He was wearing a plain black button-down shirt, and what looked like a black leather trenchcoat was slung over the back of the booth. His face was...pale. Unnaturally so. And it looked almost fake, as if he was wearing a helluva lot of foundation.

While Adeline conducted her assessment, he continued to stare out the window with icy blue eyes. He suddenly looked at her, no hint of surprise on his face. _He must have sensed my presence,_ Adeline thought with a mental giggle.

He stood up, holding out his hand. "Mrs. Everard, I presume?" He spoke with a slight French accent.

Adeline smiled and shook it. "Actually, it's still Miss, but, whatever. You're Mr. Carriere, right?" She slipped into the other side of the booth.

He sat down as well, looking at her slightly bemusedly. "Indeed. And this meeting is-?"

"More of a formality, really. It's a fairly straightforward job. Go in, follow the notes, and try to get out alive." Adeline smirked.

Mr. Carriere nodded. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, the children are expecting to start auditioning for the spring program. The sheet music for you to pass out is sitting on the desk." She paused. "You _can_ play piano, right?"

"Yes." He looked as if he were about to say more, but didn't. Adeline wondered why.

The waitress bustled over to the table, complete with beehive hairdo, butterfly glasses, and a nametag proclaiming her as BETTY. "What can I do ya for?"

Adeline smiled sweetly at the woman. _Rule #1 of eating out. Don't piss off the waitress._ "Medium latte with chocolate an' cream. Please."

Betty turned to Mr. Carriere, who had resumed his contemplation of the windowpane. "What about you, hon?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. Adeline stifled a childish giggle.

Without looking, he answered, "Medium. Black. No cream or sugar."

The woman looked crestfallen. "Are you sure?" she said, dropping her phony midwestern accent.

"Yes," he answered curtly, still not looking at her.

Betty shuffled off, looking confused. Adeline laughed out loud.

Mr. Carriere turned toward her, raising an eyebrow in inquiry. "What, exactly, was so funny?"

"It's just, you shouldn't give anyone the cold shoulder like that. 'Specially not a waitress. She's probably going to put salt in your coffee or somethin'."

He nodded, eyebrows knitting together in thought. "Indeed. Forgive me. I'm not used to...social situations."

Adeline smiled at him. "What, you been livin' underground or somethin'?"

He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Something like that." There was a momentary pause, which was ended when he asked, "You have a peculiar accent. I can't quite place it."

"Oh." Adeline smiled again, thrown slightly off kilter by his out-of-the-blue question. "I grew up in Mississippi."

Mr. Carriere nodded, as if absorbing the information. "So how did you end up in New York?"

"I did my graduate work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They've actually got a pretty impressive music department down there. I found a job at an elementary school a few blocks down from my apartment, and I've been here ever since."

Betty returned with their coffees, not saying a word. She left quickly, mopping sweat off her brow with her apron.

Adeline laughed again. "I think you frightened her, Mr. Carriere. She looks about ready to wet herself."

"A rather colorful expression."

Now it was Adeline's turn to play Spanish Inquisition. "What's with you? You're so polite, it's kinda creepy. I mean, it's not like a job interview. You don't have to be all uptight with me."

Mr. Carriere's eyes hardened. "Excuse me for being polite," he said in a low voice that sent chills up Adeline's spine. "I'm not a very personable being. And I certainly don't want to offend anybody." He spoke with a conciseness that truly scared her.

"Hey, look, I didn't intend no offense. But, you can relax. No one's judging you. I'm certainly not. It ain't my place."

He seemed to calm down. "Right. Sorry. I have a rather short temper."

"I can tell."

Adeline and Mr. Carriere walked out of the coffee shop twenty minutes later, arguing.

"I'm _telling_ you! Those cords are, like, evil incarnate! It's nearly impossible to play them with one hand!"

Mr. Carriere smirked down at her. "Not if you have long fingers."

Adeline laughed and gave him a friendly shove. "Whatever. I gotta go. I promised my mom I'd call her." She was about to walk away when she paused. "Hey. I never caught your first name. What is it?"

"Erik."

**(A/N: Dun...dun...DUUUUUUUUN!  
Yeah, I decided to use the Kopit version's last name for him (that version of Erik is sooo cute and cuddly...). Personally, my favorite surname for him is Destler, but the possibility that Freddy Krueger and Erik could be the same person still creeps me out...  
The #1 rule of eating out belongs to Bill Bryson.  
Oh, and can you guess what cords she means?  
Also... CAN YOU SPOT THE PRESTON/CHILD BOOK REFERENCES?  
*cough* Sorry. **_**Fever Dream **_**came out a few days ago, and I just finished reading it, and I'm still all jittery from it.)**


	3. II Mother, Please, Leave Me Be!

_Chapter II_  
_"Mother, Please, Leave Me Be!"_

**(A/N: I'm baaack! The title of this one is a variation of 'Mother Please, I'm Scared!" which is from the sequel, Love Never Dies. Now, before you go screaming at me, I actually like (not love; this stuff cannot compare to the original Phantom) the music, but I'm a little iffy on the plot. But hey, if ALW can make it work, I might end up liking it.  
And, like Addie, the music from it keeps randomly running unbidden through my head...  
I don't own Phantom. Ooh, and random Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child reference. Virtual brownines if you can spot it...)**

Adeline made the trek back to her apartment trying not to hyperventilate.

_It can't be. It just can't. It's just a story. Just a story that's making your Phangirl brain go haywire. You're jumping to conclusions that are backed by facts that don't exist._

_But, the face! He _was_ wearing stage makeup! To cover the disfiguration thing!_

_That doesn't mean anything. Plenty of perfectly respectable people have birth defects. Inconclusive data._

_His name is Erik!_

_Once again, not decisive. I've knows tons of people named Erik. With and without the 'k'._

_The way he spoke! He was French, and then with the whole uber-politeness thing! _

_Nowhere does it say that the Phantom is French. In the spinoffs I've read, yes. But not in the book or musical. _

_Well, his last name was Carriere! And that's-_

_From the Yeston/Kopit version, I KNOW!_

_Cheese and rice, girl. You don't have to get all snappy with me._

_..._

_..._

_Cheese and rice?_

_Shut up._

**(POV change{since the little squiggles no longer work})**_  
_

Lurline Everard sat by her phone, waiting for the ring. When none came, she rolled her eyes and picked it up and dialed her daughter's number. It rang for a few seconds, then the obligatory click as Addie picked up her phone.

"Hello?" Addie's voice came over the line, slightly breathless.

Lurline chuckled. "What, hon? You so caught up makin' out with Brandon that you forget to call your lonely old mother?"

"MOM!"

Lurline smiled. "I know, I know. I've heard your excuses. 'We're just friends,' 'I don't feel that way about him,' 'Lyk, Ohemgee that would be totally puke-tacular.' "

"Okay, when have I ever said _that_?"

Lurline simply laughed again.

Addie groaned. "You just called to gossip about Brandon, didn't you?"

"For the most part, yeah. It also doesn't help that your Mamma cain't drive her old Oldsmobile no more."

"Yeah, 'cause you went and got your license suspended."

Lurline huffed. "It ain't my fault! Those damn pedestrians need to look where they're going!"

"Uh, Mom? The sign said 'WALK', and you nearly ran over that _Times_ reporter. Smithback, I think."

"Well, last time I checked, press passes don't cover your ass while crossin' the street. An' anyway, I need a ride to Doc Copple, an' your gonna drive me, so there."

"...Alright then Mom. I'll seeya Monday."

"Okay, hon. And if Brandon gives you any trouble between here and there, tell him I'll wallop him good come next Saturday night. Did I mention I'm coming for dinner?"

Addie groaned. "Fine. And for the record," Addie took a deep breath. "BrandonandIareg oingouttonights oIdoubthe'llgivemeanytrou bleunlessIsayit 'sokayandbelieveyoumeitis." There was a click as she hung up.

Lurline put her phone back in it's cradle and chuckled.

**(POV change)**

Brandon walked up the steps to Addie's apartment, unconsciously smoothing his light brown hair. Approaching the door, he smoothed his tie. _Christ, Brandon. Smooth much?_

Addie opened the door, and earned a not-very-well-concealed gasp from Brendan.

She was wearing a dark red blouse and a black skirt that ended a couple inches above her knees. She had a pair of black flats on. (Brandon seemed to recall a conversation where she mentioned that when and if she ever wore heels, people would probably end up injured.) She hadn't done anything to her hair, so it fell down her back in it's usual ebony dissaray.

"Wow. Addie you look...Wow."

Addie smirked. "How eloquent. Now, come on." She grabbed his hand and marched out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. "You still haven't told me where we're goin' or what we're doin'."

**(TIME change {similar to POV change, yet different})**

"Oh my God, Brendan. I think that was the best dinner I've had in weeks." The couple wandered out of the restaurant.

Brendan laughed. "You certainly ate better than I've seen you lately. I don't know what's with you and that Special K stuff."

Adeline smiled. "Some things are better left unsaid." She hugged herself to his arm, trying to escape the cold night.

They continued on in silence for the next ten minutes, walking through the park (a 'long-cut' as Brendan put it). Winter just being over, there weren't many birds in Central Park. Especially at ten at night.

Eventually Adeline stopped and sat down on a bench. "Damn if it ain't cold tonight."

Brendan sat down beside her, still smiling vaguely. Adeline looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Huh? I mean, nothing."

" 'Nothing', huh? Yeah right. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing of consequence."

Adeline rolled her eyes. "Okay, now you're just being an ass. Spit it out already."

"I did. I'm literally not thinking of anything. Complete empty bliss up here." He tapped the side of his head.

Adeline shoved him playfully, grin widening. "I think I know. You've got that druggee-waitin'-for-his-fix look."

"So what if I do? You're not going to, so where's the point?" Brendan replied, smiling down at her.

"Who said I wasn't? There's no one around, so why the Hell not?"

"Because you hate an audience. Even if it is just me."

Adeline laughed. "True."

"But you do have talent. It's a gift, Addie. You should go audition for something."

"Brandon, you're forgetting on crucial thing. I'm not trained."

"You'd have fooled me."

"Brandon, really-"

"Addie." He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "You have the most amazing voice I've ever heard. And I'd kind of like to hear it again."

She sighed. "Fine. I give in."

_Alrighty, Ads. Song choice...Why the Hell does All I Ask of You keep popping up?_

_Little Girls. Oh God, he'd crack up if I sang that. Or anything from Oliver!, or Sound of Music, or Mary Poppins, or Oklahoma!, or The Music Man._

_(_...it's the music in your head. Have you followed where it lead? And been graced with the taste of the beauty underneath? Does it fill your every sense? Is it terribly intense? Tell me you need it too, need the beauty underneath..._)_

_...the Hell? Er, anyway, it's probably going to have to be something from Phantom. Maybe even Wicked. But it can't be awkward like-_

_(_...with a need too urgent to deny, and nothing mattered then except for you and I. Again and then again beneath a moonless sky..._)_

_Urgh. Not again. What was I thinking about? Oh, yeah. Song choice. Hm. Think of Me might be good. Not very awkward, yet still very pretty. Yes, I think that'll work._

_(_...let hopes pass, let dreams pass, let them die. Without you, what are they for? I'll always feel no more than halfway real till I hear you sing once more..._)_

_SEQUEL MUSIC BEGONE!_

"_Think of me, think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye. Remember me every so often, promise me you'll try. On that day, that not so distant day, when you are far away and free, if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me. And though it's clear, though it was, always clear, that this was never meant to be, if you happen to remember, stop and think of me_-"

"Wait. Those aren't the right lyrics."

Adeline sighed. "No, they're the _stage_ lyrics. They're different than the movie and OLC versions."

"Oh. Yes. Carry on."

"_Think of August when the trees were green, don't think about the way things might have been. Think of me, think of me waking, silent and resigned. Imagine me, trying too hard to put you from my mind. Think of me, please say you'll think of me, whatever else you choose. There will never be a day when I won't think of you ._ I'm not gonna sing Raoul's part, m'kay?"

"Go on."

"_Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade, they have their seasons so do we, but please promise me that sometimes you will think-_ Do I really have to do the bloody cadenza?"

Brandon smirked. "Yep."

"Gah. Fine." Adeline took a deep breath and squinted her eyes shut. _ihatethispartireallyhatethis._

She did the cadenza in record time (her shower head would have been proud). _"-OOOOooof me_." She took a deep breath, trying to replenish her air supply. Brandon applauded, grinning like a maniac. Adeline rolled her eyes. "I gotta get home now. I'll seeya soon, okay?" She stood up to go, but felt his hand on her arm. "What?"

Brandon stood up and pulled her toward him. "You didn't think you were getting out that easily, did you?" he whispered in her ear, before finally kissing her softly, then more urgently.

Adeline's heart momentarily stopped beating. _omgomghe'skissingmeomgomg..._

Brandon drew back, lopsided grin lighting his features. "_Now_ you can go home," he said, gesturing in the general direction of Adeline's apartment.

She curtsied mockingly. "By your leave, sire." With that, she walked off, humming.

She was too caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the sound of another set of hands clapping, hidden from view.

**(Another TIME change)**

"_...I'll be waiting in the wings, wound up tighter than a spring, as the house begins to dim. And I'll practice every line, hoping desperately to shine, shining only for him..._"

Adeline walked through the dark alley singing to herself. Never mind those potential rapists. Tonight, she was untouchable.

"Hey, pretty lady! Nice voice ya got there!"

Adeline turned around, heart hammering in her chest. _So much for Miss Fearless..._ "What do you want?" she called out in a faltering voice.

"Ha! Didja hear that, Timmy? 'What do we want'?" another voice said, seemingly out of nowhere.

The one apparently called Timmy laughed drunkenly, stepping out of the shadows. "Question bein' what _don't_ we want?"

Adeline was shaking all over. "Leave me alone!" she cried, racing for the nearest door. She found it locked. She pounded on it, making her fist sore and with it's fair share of splinters. She glanced the 'FOR SALE' sign in the window of the building. "SHIT!"

"Hey, no need fer such language pretty lady! Voice like yer's ain't deservin' of it!" the second man said, slipping a largely muscled arm around her waist. "Whatchu say you an' me go-"

"NO!" Adeline yelled, slamming her elbow into the space between his collarbones. She spun around as he let her go, promptly tripping over a loose rock. _Holy Christ! Now sure as HELL ain't the time for this!_

There was a muffled thump. Adeline stood back up in a hurry, expecting to see that more drunks had arrived. Instead, a man stood with his back to her, facing Timmy.

"I suggest you follow the lady's advice. Leave. _Now_," he growled in a voice so low it was barely audible.

Timmy snickered. "Whatchu gonna do, mister? Glare me to death?"

The man let out a slightly feral growl and leapt upon Timmy, drawing a rope out of nowhere.

Adeline closed her eyes, wishing that this wasn't real. _My God. No! It can't be! He's not real! It's just a book! Just a musical!_

When she reopened her eyes, Timmy was lying on the ground, eyes wide and staring, the rope around his next. The other assailant was still rolling around, clutching his collarbone in shock. _He_ was standing over Timmy, breath heaving.

Still slightly trembling, Adeline walked over to him. She set a hand on his shoulder. His head snapped around. Adeline gasped in shock. _The mask. Oh my God, the MASK! _

_He's here, the Phantom of the Opera!_

He noticed her shock and glared at her with icy blue eyes. "You're coming with me," he said quietly, grabbing her hand off of his shoulder and leading her away from the two men still lying on the ground, one dead.

**(A/N: ZOMG suspense! And a slight Twilight ref. Love the books, hate the movie.  
And yes, Addie's in denial about the Phantom thing.  
HE KILLED TIMMY!  
*cough* By the way, please leave reviews! I love reviews. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...)**


	4. III Down for the First Time

_Chapter III  
Down for the First Time_

**(A/N: 'Allo! Well, I don't have much to say here, except that Addie's gonna have an epic rant at Erik. That's always fun, isn't it?  
I don't own POTO. But I wish I owned Erik...)**

"Where are you taking me?" Adeline struggled against the Phantom's abnormally strong grasp.

He ignored her. "I should have known something like this would happen! It always does! Women's liberation and all that did absolutely _nothing_ for your bloody damsel in distress complex!"

"I am not a damsel! And I was not in distress!"

"Oh, sure, of course, forgive me. Nearly being raped doesn't count as distress these days."

He continued pulling her down a side alley. They came to a sudden stop. "Hey! Why'd we stop?"

"Will you please be quiet!" the Phantom yelled, fiddling with the lock on the door they'd stopped at. Adeline took a look at the building. _Oh! This is that abandoned theatre I usually pass on my way to work. Why are we- Oh. Wow, I'm an idiot._

The door swung open, and he continued pulling her along. The door closed with a click behind them. They continued on down the dark passages, the Phantom apparently not needing any sort of illumination. Suddenly there was a loud click from somewhere under them, and the floor fell through.

Adeline screamed, clinging onto the Phantom for dear life as they plummetted downward. They suddenly stopped. He landed on two feet, clearly unfazed. Adeline found herself still clinging to him and hastily pulled away. "Why the HELL didn't you warn me?"

He didn't answer, he simply continued walking down another hallway, no longer pulling her along. Adeline followed, afraid of being left alone.

They eventually came to his home. Sadly, there was no lake, but there was a series of rooms scattered about, seperated by curtains, that almost resembled a house.

The Phantom walked over to what was evidently a living room, or perhaps a den, and lit the enormous fireplace he'd somehow managed to get down there. He sat down in a leather wingchair beside it, and gestured to it's twin on the other side.

Adeline sat down and glared at him. "Okay, Mr. /whatever the Hell you're going by these days, I have a question."

"Yes?" he said with polite interest, a small smile twitching at the corner of his lips.

"WHY THE BLOODY FUCKING HELL DID YOU BRING ME DOWN HERE!"

Erik stood up, casting a menacing shadow over her. "You will _not_ use such language in my presence!"

"The Hell yes I will! It wasn't my decision to come down here! You practically kidnapped me! I deserve to know why!" Adeline veritably screeched at him, hands curling into fists in rage.

"You want to know why? Fine!" He began pacing about the room (like-area). "You don't really think that Timmy or whatever his name was and that other drunk were alone, did you? You were obviously going into shock and would have just stood there until the other members of their little gang showed up and finished what the first two started! And I obviously wasn't just going to leave you. That would pretty much negate what I did to save you in the first place. And that dress you're wearing really wasn't helping matters, either."

Adeline stood up. "What! Is it because my _ankles_ are showing?" She gasped in mock horror. "This ain't the freakin' nineteenth century anymore, Erik! Get with the picture!"

"I will not stand for this intolerable screeching of yours!" he yelled back, going slightly red in the face (or, what was visible of it, rather). "It gets on my nerves, and it will ruin your voice."

Adeline blinked. "My voice? You mean-? I-? WHAT! You think that this is some sort of replication of your whole deal with Christine? Well, I've sure as HELL got some news for you! I'm _not_ Christine! I never _will be_ Christine! My father _is_ dead, but he didn't play violin, not did he tell any stories about Little Lotte or an _Ange de Musique_. He died in a car crash when I was seven. My mother is still alive, but I'm fairly certain that she's clinically insane. I'm an elementary school music teacher, live in a crap-tastic apartment, and basically my whole life sucks!"

"So do you want singing lessons or not?"

"YES! Now leave me alone!" She stomped off in what was (hopefully) the direction of the swan bed. She pulled aside a curtain and stepped behind it.

"Er, Adeline?"

"WHAT?"

"That would be the broom closet."

"I KNOW!" She angrily pushed aside the curtain and stepped back into the main room. Sighing in defeat, she asked, "Where is it?"

"Third curtain on the left."

"Right. Thanks."

"Actually, I said left-"

"DON'T START!"

**(TIME change)**

Adeline woke up the next morning, thankfully unplagued by nightmares. _Damn. I haven't slept that good since- Hmph. I don't think I _have_ slept that good. Er, well._

She got out of the bed, taking in her surroundings. _Holy damn. It's like, a combination of movie, musical, and the Kopit version. But if he asks me if I'd like to go on a picnic, I'm gonna slap him._

She glanced down at her dress. It was rumpled beyond belief. She glanced at the wardrobe against the wall. _I wonder..._

She opened it, expecting a bunch of spiders to come tumbling out. Instead, she found about eight dresses in prime condition hanging in a neat row. She pulled out a light purple one and held it up to her body. She checked her reflection in the full-body mirror. _For a disfigured guy, he sure keeps a lot of mirrors about the place._

Adeline decided the dress would work, but looked a little, well, small around the middle. She sighed. _I guess that means I have to wear it._ She set the dress down on the bed and, not without some trepidation, opened one of the drawers of the nearby dresser. _God, that thing looks evil._

She checked to see that the curtain seperating the room from the rest of the house (type-area) was secure. She slipped out of her current dress and quickly grabbed the corset, attempting to put it on as fast as she could. It was one that fastened up the front, since only rich ladies with maids to help her had the stereotypical ones that laced up the back.

Finally getting it fastened, she attempted to take a deep breath, and ended up coughing and wheezing on the floor. _God! So freaking tight! And Christine sang in one of these?_

Pulling herself up, she concentrated on taking shallow breaths. She grabbed the purple dress and slipped it on over her head. She checked her reflection again. _Well. I didn't think it was possible, but I'm even skinnier than I was before._

Adeline slipped her flats back on and attempted to arrange her tangled mess of raven curls. She pulled aside the curtain and stepped out into the main room. She heard faint organ music and turned around to face the other side of the room. Erik was sitting hunched over the instrument, occasionally tapping out a melody on it, muttering to himself, and then writing down what he'd played on a piece of paper.

Adeline slowly crept up behind him. "Hey, um, Erik?"

He jumped, sending his pen (red ink, of course) and several pieces of sheet music, architectural designs, and other such things flying. "What the- Oh. Adeline."

She smiled. "Yeah. Who else?" She bent down to pick up a couple of papers, but was stopped halfway by her corset. "Frick," she muttered, straightening back up.

Erik smirked. "Corset?" he asked, picking up the papers himself. He set them on the organ, straightening them meticulously.

"Is it really that obvious?" She sat down on the bench beside him. "What are you working on?"

He made a half-hearted attempt to hide the sheet music. "Nothing of consequence."

Adeline frowned. "Seriously?"

Erik sighed. "Fine. If you must know, I'm still working on _Don Juan Triumphant_. Even when I gave those two bumbling idiots the score, it wasn't completely finished."

"But, I thought you spent those six months between acts working to finish it!" Addie cried. "I mean, what else could you have been doing? Frolicking gaily through the flowers with Nadir?"

Erik paused a moment and looked at her questioningly. "Me? Frolick? I highly doubt such a thing is possible." He returned his focus to the sheet music on the organ. He began playing a melody Adeline was sure she'd never heard, yet it sounded vaguely familiar. Then it branched into an extremely familiar bridge, which she was so used to hearing on a violin. She let out a small gasp.

His long fingers paused, still hovering over the keys. He looked at Adeline with concern evident in his usually icy blue eyes. "My dear? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! It's just- That was always my favorite- Can you play it again?" Adeline said, slightly breathless. It sounded so _different _on the organ; sensual and absolutely _beautiful_-

(_Beautiful, beautiful notes, don't you agree?..._)

Erik, slightly bemused, began playing again. Adeline gradually let herself get lost in the song. Eventually she began humming along, then singing softly with the familiar lyrics.

"_Past the point of no return, no going back now, our passion play has now at last begun_-"

Erik's hand halted in the middle of the song. He sat there for a few minutes staring into empty space. Adeline paused in her singing. "Erik? What's wrong?"

" 'What's wrong?' " he echoed, his mouth twisting in a macabre mockery of a smile. " 'What's wrong?' I'll tell you what's wrong! Everything!" He knocked a stack of sheet music off the organ in his rage. "This is all wrong! I shouldn't have brought you down here!"

Erik stood up quickly, sending the bench, and Adeline, toppling. She stayed on the floor, paralyzed by fear. "I'm not good enough," she managed to whisper, trembling.

Erik turned his gaze to her. If it were possible for ice to burn, it almost surely would have looked like his eyes at that moment. He'd apparently not noticed that he'd knocked her on the ground when he stood up. His gaze softened infinitely as he knelt down beside her.

Taking her small hand, he whispered. "No. You're amazing. It's me that's not good enough."

"Erik, don't say th-"

"Adeline." He said her name with such reverence that it sent a small chill down her spine. "You know what I'm capable of. You know what happens when I lose my temper. I don't want anything to happen to you because I lose my temper."

Adeline squeezed his hand. "How melodramatic." She smiled hesitantly. "Does that mean the Kay book is true?"

"Up until the last few chapters, yes." Erik laughed a little sadly. "Christine and I never-" He coughed, changing the subject. "It really is a shame she didn't put my time in Persia in my point of view. Of course, then the book might have been banned for excessive violence and gore. Scar several people for life, I imagine."

Adeline laughed. "True." She frowned. "Do I really have to go back?"

"You mean, you don't want to?" There was a small glimmer of hope in Erik's eyes.

"No! Of course I don't! Didn't you hear my epic rant last night?"

"Oh, yes. But you'll have to go back tomorrow morning. You have to drive your mother to the doctor's, don't you?"

"Unfortunately."

Just then a small hiss sounded from the nearest curtain. A sleek form darted under it, then crept up to Erik and nudged his leg. The cat hissed at Adeline again.

"Ayesha?" Erik asked, stroking the cat. "How did you get back here without-?"

"Erik! You must teach that cat of yours better manners!" A dark-skinned man pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the room. He pointed to a fresh scratch on the side of his face. "She scratched me. Again!" He suddenly paused upon seeing Adeline sitting on the ground beside Erik.

"What the-? ERIK!" he cried, completely forgetting his previous indignance. "_This_ is why you made me take Ayesha with me yesterday? So you could kidnap _her_?"

Erik stood up, ignoring Ayesha's pleading mews. "I did not kidnap her, Nadir!"

Adeline blinked. "Actually, you kinda did."

Erik glared at her, eyes burning again. "Not now, Adeline!"

Nadir's frown deepened. "You see! Even she admits that-"

"-he kidnapped me after he save my life to save himself the trouble of doing it again," Adeline finished for him. She stood up as well. "Besides, what does it matter to you?"

Just then, Ayesha let out another hiss and sank her claws into Adeline's foot.

"OW! Ow ow ow ow _OW_! What the Hell did I do to _you_?" she shrieked at the cat. Ayesha responded by hissing at her again, then padding over to Erik to beg for attention.

Erik picked her up, stroking her soothingly. She let out a loud purr and seemed to glare at Adeline. Erik frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, sure. Yeah. 'Course I'm fine. Your cat just hates me, that's all," she muttered, righting the bench and sitting down on it, massaging her foot.

Nadir laughed. "Well, it's good to know that I'm not the only one Ayesha hates." He then resumed his stern expression and turned to Erik. "Erik? Have you gone completely mental?"

Erik put Ayesha down. "Maybe it would be better to continue this conversation _in private_," he hissed, dragging Nadir towards the way he'd came by the arm.

Adeline eyed the cat warily as she surreptitiously scooted farther away on the bench. _Bloody cat. I always did like dogs better. Or hamsters. Yes. Hamsters are harmless. Unless they're rabid..._

**(POV change)**

Now that Adeline was out of earshot, Erik turned to Nadir. "This does not concern you, Nadir!"

"Doesn't concern me! You kidnapped her!"

"Yes, but-"

"I don't know what you've been reading lately, but kidnapping is _not_ romantic! At all! And in your case it's making you seem like a pedophile! You're nearly fifty! And what is she? Eighteen?"

"Actually, she's twenty-six, and-"

"That still makes you old enough to be her father, even by today's standards! And-"

"She's still older than Christine!" Erik blurted out, regretting it as soon as he said it.

Nadir quickly shut his mouth and began to grow red in the face. "Christine! Erik you _know _how that ended! How could you possibly think that this will be any different!"

Erik crossed his arms. "She said so herself. She's _not_ Christine. She doesn't have some pre-concieved notion about an angel, which rather uncomplicates things." He smiled ironically. "She already knows near everything. I don't have to hide anything."

Nadir looked slightly speechless. He shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no! Erik! You're missing the point!"

"What point!" Erik cried, beginning to lose his temper. "Do you think it's impossible for me to be loved? Well? DO YOU!"

Nadir shrank back, paling under his dark olive complexion. "Erik, I-"

"It _is_ possible! And it _did_ happen! Don't look so damned incredulous, Daroga! Christine _did _love me." Erik slumped against the wall. "On some level she did. Whether it be as a father, older brother, or maybe a friend..." He put his head in his hands. "Love that strong cannot go unrequited."

**(A/N: OMG! It's Nadir and Ayesha! And Erik has an emo moment there at the end.  
I told you there'd be a lot of Kay references in this, didn't I?  
Don't forget to review!)**


	5. IV Sister Kenna

_Chapter IV_

_Sister Kenna  
_

**(A/N: Holy epic long wait Batman!  
**

**Anyway, time for another update! It's Monday in story-world, so it's time for Addie to drive her mother to the doctor's, and Erik to act as a substitute teacher. Dear God...  
Still don't own Phantom...)**

Adeline trembled. It wasn't from the cold, though of course, it was rather chilly beneath the abandoned theater. It was because of the man walking beside her. Erik's very presence intimidated her, but she was bound and determined not to show it.

He noticed her tremble. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern lacing his baritone voice.

The voice alone made her shiver again. "I'm fine," she lied. "Just a little chilly."

They were making their way back up towards the surface. It was four AM on Monday, and Adeline needed to prepare to drive her mother to the doctor, and Erik had to get ready to teach that class.

At that thought, Adeline giggled. Erik looked at her. "What's so funny?"

"I just remembered. You're supposed to be taking over for me at school today. How are you going to manage that?"

"Well, despite common belief, I am rather good with children."

"You obviously haven't met Darren Tschaw."

**(POV & TIME change)**

"...and then a left up here."

"I know, Mom," Adeline groaned, fighting the urge to bang her head against the steering wheel of her old AMC Gremlin. _Stupid New York,_ she thought, winding her way haphazardly through the mid-morning traffic, earning more than a few honks and fingers. _Stupid traffic. _As she pushed a little harder on the accelerator pedal, the car gave an angry protesting wheeze. _Stupid old clunker._

Finally pulling up to the doctor's office, Adeline parked the car as close to the door as she could get without earning herself a ticket. She got out of the car, straightening her light green cotton jacket. Her mother followed, grayish-brown curls bobbing around comically as she struggled to pull herself out of the passenger side.

Eventually, Adeline had to help her out. Ever since she'd had that nasty fall last spring, her mother's knee hadn't quite been the same. And that cough was worrisome too...

**(POV change)**

Erik took a deep breath. _Why did I do this? God! This is stupid. Stupid, stupid idea!_ He hefted the pile of sheet music that Adeline had gave him earlier out of his bag and onto the desk. He turned and faced the class. So far, it had been a good day. Now he was down to his last block class, and his nerves were getting frazzled.

He'd decied against wearing the mask today. The children would have pestered him about it. instead he was wearing quite a lot of stage makeup. It didn't stand up to close inspection, but no one had noticed yet.

"Now, as you have probably noticed by now, I am not Ms. Everard. She is gone today, and I have been called to fill in for her. Any questions?"

A small blonde boy with glasses in the front row raised his hand. "What's your name?" he asked, not waiting to be called upon.

Erik already didn't like the boy. "Mr. Carriere," he said, pleasantly enough.

"Aren't you going to write it on the board?" the boy asked, pointing at the chalkboard that occupied the majority of the front wall. "That's what most of the substitutes do."

He glared at the boy. "I suppose so," he said, begrudgingly stepping up to the board. None of the other classes had asked him to write his name. They'd all had the presence of mind to remember it, which this class evidently lacked.

Erik stared unblinkingly at the board for a moment before picking up the chalk and scrawling his name across the top in a barely legible script. He turned around to the class to begin explaing about the spring show, but more than half the class of second graders had gotten out of their seats and were crowding around the board.

"It looks like a walrus eating a turtle," a boy with short brown hair proclaimed.

"Nah," a girl with pigtails shook her head. "It looks like a horse with two heads."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Courtney, that is definetly not a horse. It's a walrus! Don't you see the tusks?" He pointed at the name.

"Nuh-uh! Elephants have tusks, Darren! Walruses don't!"

As the two continued their argument, a little girl with blonde ringlets tied with a pink bow hopped out of her back row seat and hurried up to Erik.

"Mr. Carriere?" she asked in a whisper, tugging on his sleeve. "Are we gonna work on the spring show today?" She smiled at him.

Erik looked down at her. "Yes," he answered, eyeing her warily. No matter how sweet they may seem to be, children are not to be trusted. "Now go on back to your seat while I take care of the others."

The girl smiled. "I can do that!" she laughed, running into the middle of the crown of children. "HEY!" she yelled. "GET BACK TO YOUR SEATS NOW!"

Everyone frightenedly scrambled for their seats. Erik looked at the girl again. "Er, thanks-?"

"Ellie."

"Yes. Thank you , Ellie. Now," He turned back to the class. "We are going to be working on casting for your spring show. And to do that, we must go to the auditorium-"

The children hopped out of their seats and ran out the door, not waiting for further instructions.

Ellie walked up to the desk and picked up about a quarter of the papers. She then walked out the door. She turned around. "Mr. Carriere? Aren't you coming?"

Erik grabbed the rest of the papers and followed her out the door.

**(POV change)**

Adeline sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office, trying to focus on the issue of _People_ magazine she'd found on the side table. To be honest, she really couldn't care less about what Kate Gosselin was up to, or what nationality Brad and Angela's new kid was. She desperately needed something to occupy her mind. Her mother had been with the doctor for most of the day, having test after test done.

She glanced up at the clock. 2:30. _Wonder how Erik's faring with the class,_ she thought, flipping a page absently.

She continued flipping pages in this manner until she found she'd run out. She put the magazine back on the table and grabbed the new _Reader's Digest_. The jokes sections were usually pretty good. _I should have thought to bring a book with me. Or my laptop. I could've spent the last four hours watching _Phantom Reviews_. That usually cheers me up...I wonder how Erik would react to those..._

**(POV change)**

Once the class was settled in the plush leather chairs of the auditorium and making a minimum amount of noise, Erik climbed up onto the stage. He strode to the piano and put the large pile of sheet music on top. He looked at the top of the pile to referesh his memory of the song order and Adeline's reccomendations for which each child should attempt.

"Okay first is," he cringed in the humiliation of saying the title. "_Jolly Holiday _from_ Mary Poppins._ Courtney and Darren, you're up first." He sat down at the piano, hoping it would be over quickly.

Courtney hopped up on stage eagerly, followed by Darren who waved at the audience. They both stood in front of the microphone. Erik began to play.

Darren stepped forward, grinning like an idiot. "_Ain't it a glorious day? Right as a mornin' in May. I feel like I could fly. 'Ave you ever seen the grass so green, or a bluer sky? Oh, it's a jolly 'oliday with Mary. Mary makes your 'eart so light! When the day is gray and ordinary, Mary makes the sun shine bright!..._"

In the pause between verses, someone called out, "Nice accent Darren!" earning giggles from everyone else. Courtney merely rolled her eyes and took her place in front of the microphone. "_Now then, what'd be nice? We'll start with rasberry ice, and then some cakes and tea._"

About five different kids then rushed up on stage. "_Order what you will, there'll be no bill, it's complimentary!_" They then scuttled back off stage pushing and shoving eachother playfully.

Courtney continued. "_Oh, it's a jolly holiday with you, Bert. Gentlemen like you are few. Though you're just a diamond in the rough, Bert, underneath, your blood is blue!..._"

As soon as the song was finished, Courtney and Darren hurried back to thier seats. Erik looked at the next song on the list. "Okay, Ellie, you're next."

Ellie slid out of her seat and climbed up onto the stage. She adjusted the micrphone to her height (she was the shortest in her class). "What am I singing?" she asked, adjusting her shirt.

Erik looked at the sheet again. "_Colors of the Wind _from _Pocahontas_." _Is Adeline on a Disney kick or something?_ he thought, setting the proper sheet music in front of the piano.

Ellie hurriedly began counting the beats of rest until she was supposed to start. "_You think I'm an ignorant savage, and you've been so many places, I guess it must be so. But still I cannot see, if the savage one is me, how can there be so much that you don't know?..._"

**(POV change)**

Adeline sighed. She'd made it through all the magazines worth reading in the waiting room, and had resigned herself to finding patterns in the wallpaper.

_That one kinda looks like a crane. Or is it a stork? Flamingo? It's some sort of bird. Long legs, and stubby wings- Oh! That one's a walrus!_

All of a sudden, her cell phone began to ring. The receptionist and the others in the waiting room gave her a dirty look. She opened it, not bothering to check the caller id. "Hello?"

"Addie! You finally answered! I've been trying to reach you all day!"

Adeline paled. She ducked out into the hall so she wouldn't disturb anyone. "Kenna? What do you mean you've been calling all day?"

"I've been calling your home phone silly!"

Adeline sighed. "Even if it weren't today, I'd be at work. As a matter of fact, our mother is at the doctor's office today."

"About her knee?"

"Yep."

"Poor Momma. That cough still messin' with her too?"

"Yeah. I'm worried it might be TB."

"Consumption? Really, Ads? That hasn't been major since, like, ever!"

"Maybe she ate some bad mayonaise in Mexico or something."

"Like Dad did once and got stomach worms?"

"...Something like that. Anyway, why've you been trying to reach me?"

"I was wonderin' if me, my husband, and the kids could come up this weekend. The kids've been missing Auntie Addie, and I'm sure David wants to get out of Boston. His firm is getting overworked on this new murder trial."

Adeline thought for a moment. "I guess that's okay. As long as you promise to keep the little demons under control. My apartment's really small and crappy."

"I remember." There was a laugh on the other line. "And _I'll_ do the cooking this time. Seeya later, big sis."

"Bye, Chantefleurie!" Adeline pressed the end call button and sighed. _Kenna always did have impeccable timing...calling in in the middle of the waiting room and all...I can't believe she's my sister..._

**(A/N: Yep, Addie's got herself a sister. And be warned. Kenna Everard-Miller is not your normal girl. You get uber brownie points if you can guess where her nickname (Chantefleurie) is from.  
Hint: If you've only seen the Disney movie, you won't get it. I don't know if it's mentioned in the Lon Chaney version or not (seeing as how I haven't seen it yet), but it's in the book. It's a particular character's last name. A character that Kenna is **_**very**_** like (as you shall soon see).  
And don't forget to review. That pretty button down there is calling your name...  
P.S. This chapter's title is not based on Phantomy-goodness. It is based on the third chapter of part five of the book 'Chantefleurie' is from.)**


	6. V Traumatizinger Than You Dreamt It

_Chapter V  
Traumatizinger Than You Dreamt It_

**(A/N: Okay! Another chapter up! *dances*  
Not much to say at this point, except that the title refers to something that happens at the end of this chapter. Oh, and I still don't own POTO *pouts*.)**

Adeline walked out of the doctor's office, letting her mother lean on her. The doctor had told them that it was just common arthritis, and that Lurline should take an arthritis medication that neither she nor her daughter could pronounce.

Once they were in the car, Adeline pulled out of the parking lot, eager to get home as soon as possible. Her mother chattered aimlessly about whatever came to mind, driving Adeline up the wall. As usual.

"...so then I turn to him an' say, 'Lookey here, mister! I don't care what your wife is sayin'. I'm a respectable lady and when I say that this is a parkin' spot, then it sure as hell _is_ a parkin' spot!' And then the wife turns to me an' says..."

Adeline fought to ignore her mother, but to no avail. Lurline had a naturally loud voice. Instead, Adeline reached over and turned on the radio. It started blaring _Tik Tok_.

Her mother turned to her. "Addie, I raised you better'n that! What'chu think yer doin' trying to drown me out?"

Adeline shook her head and started singing along at the top of her lungs. "_...Don't stop, make it pop, DJ blow my speakers , I'mma fight 'til we see the sunlight, Tik tok, on the clock, but the party don't stop, no..._"

Lurline rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. If yer gonna try to drown me out, at least do it with proper music." She leaned over and switched the dial to a country station that was currently playing _Big Green Tractor_.

"_We can take a ride on my big green tractor. We can go slow, or we can go faster. Down through the woods, and out through the pasture. Long as I'm with you, it really don't matter..._"

Adeline screamed and shut off the radio. "Mom!" she gasped for breath. "I _hate _country music!"

Lurline cackled. "Exactly."

Adeline groaned and rifled through her CD's, keeping one eye on the road and one knee on the steering wheel. Finally choosing a CD, she popped it into the player.

Lurline frowned, evidently not recognizing the song until the chorus.

"_All around the world now, like a big bright cherry cloud. Traveling from home to home, TV sets and telephones. Here it comes just like a storm. Bathe in it and be reborn. Time to let the world know. Welcome madness, say hello..._"

Lurline gaped at her daughter. "You got the farewell CD?"

Adeline smirked. "Yep. Live from the Universal Amphitheatre, Halloween '95."

"I took you and Kenna to that concert!" Lurline exclaimed, bouncing up and down in her seat. "You were only eleven and Kenna was nine, but you two were so excited!" She smiled brightly at her oldest daughter. "Do you still have the T-shirt?"

Adeline laughed. "How could I get rid of it? Oingo Boingo was my favorite band growing up!"

The two women laughed and sang along with the CD all the way back to Lurline's apartment.

**(POV change)**

Erik glanced at the clock hopefully. _Damn. Ten minutes left. How am I supposed to occupy twenty hyper children for ten more minutes?_

Said children had finished their auditions without much incident. They were all lounging in the red auditorium chairs, chattering animatedly.

Erik sighed in defeat. _Might as well just let them carry on._

Ten minutes passed in this fashion, until Darren looked at his watch, proclaimed it was three o'clock, and led all the children out the auditorium doors. Erik followed them, bemused by their leming-like mentality.

**(POV change)**

Ellie hopped into the passenger seat of her older sister's car. "Hiya, Carolynn!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly at her.

Carolynn pressed the pause button on her CD player and smiled back. "So, Ells, how was your day?"

"Good," she answered. "We had a substitute in Music today."

Carolynn nodded, pulling out of the parking lot, only half paying attention to her little sister. "Was it Mr. Remo?"

"No. It was some new guy. Mr. Carriere."

Carolynn froze. "Carriere?"

"Yeah. He was really weird. He was tall, and had a creepy voice, and his face was weird."

"W-weird how?" Carolynn asked, trying to focus on driving them home.

"Well, it was like he was wearing a lot of that cover-up stuff you use when you have a really nasty zit."

Carolynn sucked in a deep breath. "Are- are you sure his last name was Carriere?"

"Yep." Ellie reached over and turned the CD back on, not liking awkward silences.

Carolynn's breathing sped up as the first familiar chords sounded, and the song began.

"_In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came..._"

**(POV change)**

Adeline walked into her apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her. He threw her bag and green jacket onto the floor and collapsed onto the couch.

She stood up after a few minutes and switched on the TV. She turned it on Mtv, attempting to catch a rerun of ABDC, but they'd apparently stopped showing it until the new season. Instead, it was showing one of those two hour shows full of music videos. Currently playing was _Telephone_.

Adeline rolled her eyes. _Well, it's certainly better than _Big Green Tractor, she thought. She glanced over at her ancient answering machine. A big "1" glowed red on it's display screen. Sighing, she pressed the "PLAY" button and heard the tape whirring to life.

"Hey, Addie. Brendan, here. Um, I suppose that's rather obvious considering we've known eachother for nearly three years...Right. Anyway, His Eminence the Director has given me a shitload of work, and I'm not going to be able to get off work until eleven most nights this month. Talk about bad timing, huh?" A laugh. "Well, I'll call you when I can. Bye."

The tape clicked as it ran its length. Adeline paled. _I completely forgot about him. Oh God. What if he finds out about Erik? Would he believe me? Would he get mad? Jealous? ...I bet Christine felt like this..._

Adeline picked up the phone and dialed Brendan's number. There was a beep as his voicemail activated. "Hey, Brendan. Sorry I missed your call. I must've fallen asleep early or something," she lied smoothly. "Mr. Shadow of God must've been in a pretty bad mood to pile you up like that. I thought you were his favorite." She laughed. "Hey, if you're free on the weekend, do you want to come over for dinner Saturday? My mom said she was comin'. She invited herself. Just like her, ain't it? And Kenna, David, and the three little demons might make it in time. I don't want to have to deal with the family by myself, you know? Hope to hear from you soon! Bye."

She hung up, and attempted to put the phone back in the cradle. It slipped and fell to the floor. She ignored it, putting her head in her hands.

"Who's Brendan?"

Adeline's head shot up. "What the-? How-?"

Erik sat across the room from her, in an overstuffed flea market armchair. He was dressed similarly to how she'd first met him, the only difference was that he was wearing his mask and the wide-brimmed fedora. "I noticed the locks on your door. Very smart. Although your door's biggest defense against burglars is that it's too big for the frame and makes a loud creak when it opens, thus alerting you when someone enters without your permission."

"Then how-?"

"You don't lock your windows."

Adeline blinked. "So, you climbed in through my window while I was on the phone?"

"Yes."

"I'm on the second floor!"

"Yes, but there's a tree right beside your window. And now, back to my original question. Who is Brendan?" The whole time, his voice and expression had remained neutral. Adeline couldn't see his eyes, because the fedora cast a shadow over them.

"He's my friend." She couldn't help but feel a little flustered. "We used to work together at the Metropolitan Museum of Art."

"Is that all?"

"Yep," Adeline lied again.

"Are you sure?" This time his voice was lower, more menacing.

"Yeah."

"Good," he said, obviously relieved. Then he chuckled.

"What?" Adeline asked, suddenly worried.

"Your shirt."

She glanced down at her T-shirt. It was dark blue, with gold words that said: "_HOGWARTS RULE #31:_ _I DO NOT HAVE A DALEK PATRONUS._" Underneath was a picture of the afore mentioned robot. "What about it?"

"Considering all the spare time I've had, I've read the Harry Potter series, yet I have no idea what a 'dalek' is. Would you care to enlighten me?"

_Is he serious?_ "Er, well, it's a robot/alien thing that's pretty much bent on exterminating all forms of life in the universe other than itself. It's from Doctor Who." She smiled sheepishly. "Whatever you do, do NOT get me started on that."

Erik nodded. He looked at the TV. "What the Hell?"

Adeline looked over at the television. "Oh! Uh, yeah. That's the music video for _Telephone_."

"I think a small part of my brain just died."

"Yeah. Lady Gaga's a little out there..."

"I can tell." He blinked and shook his head, as if trying to forget what he'd seen.

Adeline bit her lip, trying to decide how best to phrase her question. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"

"To inform you of when our next lesson will be. Will next Tuesday work?"

She blinked. "Let me go check." She ran off into the kitchen to try and find her calendar. Ten minutes later, she returned. "Yep. Tuesday's fine. Uh, Erik? What are you doing?"

Erik was standing in front of the shelf on which Adeline kept her movies. Adeline was rather well known for putting post-it notes on books and movies, and writing a sort of review on them. Erik was currently holding one in his hand, with a shocked and disgusted look on his face.

Adeline hurried up to him. "What movie is- Oh." She took it from him. "I'm still traumatized after my last time of watching it."

"R-rats?"

"And the wig. We mustn't forget the wig."

**(A/N: Let's just thank God that Erik didn't put it in the DVD player.  
And I actually like Lady Gaga, but no matter how twisted of a phanphic he's put in, Erik won't.  
Until next time!)**


	7. VI NotesPrima Kenna

_Chapter VI_

_Notes/Prima Kenna_

**(A/N: This chapter's kinda short. Sorry. I wrote the majority of this right after I woke up, so it's not my best.  
I don't own Phantom, sadly.)**

The rest of the week passed without incident. Adeline and Brendan communicated through eachother's voicemail. He couldn't come to dinner on Saturday, but that was alright. Less chance for Erik to figure things out.

Adeline hadn't seen Erik since he snuck into her house on Monday. Which was all well and good with her. But it had left her time to think, _How the Hell is he even alive? Is he alive? A ghost? A figment of my overactive phangirlish imagination?_

That, and there were more nightmares. And, as usualy, only slight details were remembered in the morning. Something about a fire...

**(Kinda TIME change. It's Saturday now. WOOH!)**

Adeline opened the door, fearing the worst. A small form shot past her and straight into the kitchen.

"Connor!" Kenna yelled after him, laughing. "Get back here and say hi to your aunt!"

The five year old boy walked back to Adeline begrudgingly. "Hiya Aunt Addie," he said, staring at the floor.

Adeline smiled and ruffled his sandy blonde hair. "Hey, kiddo. You can go on back now."

He sprinted back into the kitchen.

Kenna stepped through the door, holding the hand of one of her daughters. "Hey, Adds," she said, hugging her big sister. "Been a year, hasn't it?"

"Around there," Adeline chuckled. She bent down to speak to the little girl. "Hey, Lena," she said. "How's your thumb?"

She four year old held her thum up for Adeline to see. It was covered in gauze. "Almost healed up," she said, grinning.

Her twin sister ran into the room. "Lena, you're such a baby," she taunted, poking her sister's nose.

Lena frowned. "Becka, stop it. You're the one who ran over my thumb on your bike."

Kenna frowned at the two little girls. "Ellen, Rebecka, stop pestering eachother and go help your brother look for Addie's secret cookie stash."

Lena's face lit up. "Cookies?" She sprinted into the kitchen, followed by Becka.

Adeline laughed. "I don't have any cookies," she said to Kenna, sitting down on the dilapadated couch. David walked in the door, carrying a suitcase. He set it down on the ground, panting slightly.

"I'm starting to think that you packed everything but the kitchen sink," he said, sitting on the couch beside them. "I told you we should have checked into the hotel first."

"Yes, but then the kids would have been slightly calmer when we got here," Kenna answered, smoothing out her long patterned skirt. "And we know that would have been no fun for Addie here."

**(TIME change)**

Kenna made spaghetti, and the whole dinner went fairly well, aside from Becka flinging noodles at Lena. Lurline came in about halfway through dinner, complaining that cab drivers were slow and unreliable.

The children were starting to get sleepy, so Kenna and David took them to their hotel across the street. Lurline left a little later, complaining of a headache.

Once everyone was gone, Adeline passed out on the couch and dreamt of fire.

**(TIME change)**

"Hey, Adds? Can I borrow one of your scrunchies? Mine just snapped in two."

Adeline laughed. "Maybe that wouldn't happen if you cut your hair. But, yes. They're in the top drawer of my dresser."

Kenna flipped her waist length brown hair defiantly and walked into Adeline's bedroom.

There was a bed, a dresser, a closet, and a mirror, and that was it. Kenna clucked her tounge at the blandness of it all. _Hard to believe she's my sister,_ she thought, walking over to the dresser. She opened the top drawer and grabbed a light green scrunchie, then turned to the mirror and put it in her hair. She was going to leave, but she paused, seeing something on the dresser.

Kenna walked over, long skirt swishing, and picked it up. _A note?_ she thought, opening it. It was barely legible, but she had seen worse. Namely, from Lena when she tries to write with her thumb in a cast.

_Adeline,_

_Something has come up, and I must reschedule our lesson. I had forgotten that I had prior arrangements on the second Tuesday of each month. Will tonight work? If so, be outside your building at eleven pm, and for God's sake, have pepper spray handy._

_Erik_

Kenna grinned and walked back out into the living room, still holding the note.

Adeline looked up from her book. "What's that?" she asked, setting the book down.

Kenna merely grinned. "Who's Erik?"

Adeline paled. "What-? How-?"

"I found this note from him on your dresser. And what _lessons_ are you taking from him?" She was suddenly glad she'd left her husband and kids at the hotel.

"None of your business," Adeline said, grabbing the note. She read it over. " 'Pepper spray'? I'm not completely helpless!"

"You haven't answered my question."

Adeline sighed. "Fine. I take vocal lessons from him."

"Hm. Vocal lessons from a man named Erik? That sounds like-"

"A cheap idea for a phanphic, I know."

**(A/N: Fourth wall breakage. Don't ya just love it?  
Longer and better chapter next time, I promise!)**


	8. VII Phone CallsDisney Ate My Childhood

_Chapter VII_

_Phone Calls/Disney Ate My Childhood_

**(A/N: Okay, I think I owe you a bit of explanation on the title. It's a parody of Notes/Twisted Every Way. Instead of Notes, we have Phone Calls. And the story isn't quite Twisted Every Way yet (key word being 'yet'), and Addie goes on a bit of a Disney rant.  
I was born in the nineties, during the Disney Rennaissance, so, as a matter of fact, Disney DID eat my childhood. And I can assure you I enjoyed every minute of it.)**

At about five til eleven, Adeline slipped out of her apartment, locking the door quietly behind her. She headed down the staircase, making a minimal amount of noise, so as not to wake anyone.

Once outside, she let out a deep breath, not even remembering having held it in the first place. She looked around, trying to find Erik. There was a small cough from behind her. She spun around, and glared at him. "I really wish you'd stop doing that."

Erik shrugged, and began walking in the direction of the abandoned theater. Adeline followed quickly, trying to keep up with him. Once they reached it, she let out a big sigh of relief. "Well, glad that's over with."

Erik looked at her, shook his head, and walked down a side passage, motioning for her to follow. A bit weirded out, she did so.

After about five minutes of this, they reached the underground lake. Slightly surprised in the fact that this was definitely not they way they'd come the last time, Adeline climbed into the gondola. "That's funny," she said, as Erik rowed (or, since it was that big pole thing, would it be pushed? Propelled?). "I don't remember ever hearing about a lake under this theater."

Erik didn't say anything, he just kept rowing/pushing/propelling/bugger all this for a lark, I want a sandwich. Adeline sat in silence for the rest of the boat ride. When they reached the opposite shore, she stepped out and turned to Erik. "Is something wrong? You haven't said anything."

Finally, he spoke. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just a bit tired, is all." He led her to the organ. "We'll start with your scales."

"M'kay," Adeline said, trying her best to look professional, but more likely she just looked slightly stupid.

Erik smirked slightly and began playing. Adeline sang her scales, but when she hit the high C, her voice lost nearly all vibrato and dropped a half step. She sat down in a chair, defeated. "Dammit," she muttered rubbing her throat.

Erik looked at her, the visible eyebrow raised slightly. "Does that happen often?"

Adeline sighed. "No. It all depends on what day it is." When he looked at her funny, she explained. "The highest note I've ever been able to hit is the F above high C, and that only happened once, when I was in the seventh grade. On a good day, I can hit the E. On normal days, the D. And on bad days, high C. On really fricking uber suckish days, I can't even hit that." She smiled. "Apparently this is one of _those_ days."

"How do you know all the specifics of that?"

"I have an electric piano hidden in my hall closet. I usually practice for a while every day, but lately, with the Spring Program coming up, I haven't had much time."

Erik smiled slightly. "Does that explain all the Disney music?"

"Hey, Disney is freaking epic. Except for all that Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers and High School Musical and- Well, Disney _used_ to be epic. Except for Snow White. God, I cannot stand that woman's voice. I mean, I know it was the first full-length animated movie EVER but her voice sounds like an English speaking cockatoo that just inhaled a helium baloon."

Erik blinked. "That's quite an analogy."

Adeline grinned. "Isn't it?"

"Er, yes. Anyway, what would you like to sing?"

Her answer was automatic. "Air Des Bijoux."

He turned around on the organ stool. "You're kidding, right?" he asked, incredulous.

"Nope," Adeline said proudly.

"Well, then," Erik said, still bewildered, as he began to play.

Adeline smiled. "_Ah! Je ris, de me voir si belle en ce miroir! Ah! Je ris, de me voir si belle en ce miroir! Est-ce toi, Marguerite? Est-ce toi? Reponds-moi! Reponds-moi! Reponds, reponds reponds, vite!..._"

**(TIME change)**

Adeline followed Erik out of the abandoned theater an hour later, rubbing her throat. "I _told_ you it was a bad day for my voice. Why did you make me practice the high C so many times?"

"You're the one who chose the song. I was just helping you practice the final note."

"Actually, the final note is an F, and I still say it was cruel and unusual punishment." Adeline looked back at the theater, seeing one of those platforms that move upwards so you can cut branches off of really tall trees. "Hey, what's with the platform-thingy?"

Erik paused. "Oh. I guess I haven't told you. The city has decided to restore the theater."

She nodded. "Is that why you're so tired?"

"Er, yes."

"I guess that would explain things-" In the middle of her sentence, Adeline grabbed Erik's arm, pulling the sleeve up so she could see the bruises. "I knew it! That's why Tuesday wouldn't work! You have to go meet that Jules Bernard guy to get more morphine! And that explains why you're so tired! You've been overdosing to get rid of the headache from the construction being done on the theater!"

Erik removed his arm form her grip, tugging the sleeve back down. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't yell."

Adeline rolled her eyes. "Everyone's asleep, anyway. It doesn't matter. Watch. _Hey, world! My vocal teacher's a morphine addict_!"

Erik clamped a hand over her mouth and began dragging her back towards her apartment. Reaching it, he let her go, and she promptly burst out in a fit of giggles. "Will you shut up?"

She grinned. "Look who's yelling now."

**(TIME change)**

It was the last block of the school day, and Ms. Everard looked positively frazzled. "Okay, fine, whatever. Just don't fling any more spitballs into Courtney's hair. Everyone up on stage. We're going to work on the opening song."

The second graders clambered up onto the stage, wondering what the opening song would be. No one was really certain, but it would most likely be from a Disney movie. Preferably the '90s.

Once everyone was up, Ms. Everard smiled tiredly. "Okay. You're all wondering what it is we're going to sing. And, here's a real shocker. It's not Disney."

Darren whispered to Courtney, "I think Ms. Everard's gone off her nut."

"Hush up," she whispered back. "I want to know what it is."

Ms. Everard continued. "It's a sort of farewell to winter type song." She paused. "Actually, no, I just really wanted to use it. You will be singing 'Once Upon a December' from Anastasia. Does anyone know it?"

Ellie raised her hand, as did a couple of other children. Mostly, they knew it because they had an older sister that had grown up in the nineties. Ms. Everard smiled. "Good. That makes things a bit simpler." She passed out the sheet music, in the choir booklet form. "Okay, now try your best. I'm not expecting you to be perfect the first time through."

She began playing the song on piano, and the children tried to follow along. A couple of them had it pretty much down pat, but for the most part they were completely lost.

When the song finished, Ms. Everard looked at the clock. "Okay, time to go." As the children filed out of the auditorium, she called after them. "You can look the song up on YouTube, or ask an older sibling, or something. You know, so you can learn the song easier."

**(TIME change)**

Adeline dropped her purse on the floor of her apartment, slumping down onto the couch. She let out a groan, then looked over at her answering machine. There were no messages.

_That's odd,_ she thought, picking up the phone and dialing Brandon's office number. Surprisingly, he picked up. "Art department, Brandon Wicherly speaking."

"Hey! It's Addie."

"Addie? This is a welcome surprise. What brings you to the phone on such a day as this?"

She laughed. "I saw that you hadn't called yet today, so I decided that I'd call you for once."

"Oh. Yeah, sorry about that. I haven't had any free time today. As a matter of fact, I was just about to call you."

"Guess this worked out pretty well then, huh?"

"Yep. So, how's school going?"

"Ugh."

"That bad?"

"No, I'm just freakishly tired today. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"You're still having those nightmares?"

Adeline debated telling him about the new ones. "Nope." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth, either.

"Good. If they start up again, maybe you ought to see a professional, or something."

She frowned. "Brendan, I'm not crazy."

"I know, I know. Sorry I brought it up."

"It's okay. How's work?"

"Like I said, I am utterly swamped in paper work this month. The museum's getting a new piece, a Degas, I think, so there's a whole bunch of legal crap to go through."

"I'm sorry. That's gotta suck."

"Definitely. Wait, hold on a sec."

Addie could hear him yelling at an intern to "Put the bloody vase down! It's worth more than your house and car combined!"

He came back on. "Sorry, I have to go."

"That's fine. Talk to you soon."

"M'kay. Bye."

Adeline put the phone down and sighed, switching on the television, attempting to find something to capture her attention.

**(A/N: Okay, quick note on the speed of my updates. I always make sure I have at least one chapter past the one I'm posting written before I post it. So, by the time you're reading this, I have finished chapter 8, but I won't post it until I'm done with 9. Does that make any sense?  
Anyway, keep reading and reviewing!)**


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